Foxes, Flowers, and Grilled Cheese
by Storm Wolf77415
Summary: Who expects royalty to eat grilled cheese? But...people have fallen in love over sillier things. Cornelia X OC. Ties into Three Knights.


Disclaimer: "Blurry" belongs to Puddle of Mudd

Disclaimer: "Blurry" belongs to Puddle of Mudd. Cornelia Li Britannia is property of Sunrise, and Mark Lamperouge is mine. For the sake of continuity, this story takes place two months before the events of Shinjuku.

Foxes, Flowers, and Grilled Cheese.

A side story to "Three Knights."

By Storm Wolf77415

Mark, wearing red pajama pants and a black wifebeater, sat on the balcony of his second floor room at the Ashford Residence on the campus of the academy. After wandering the world for three years, he had returned to Area 11, much to the joy of his niece and nephew. But his mind wasn't scheming at the current time. Tonight it was on more…personal matters. He looked up the night sky, the millions of stars shining, and spoke. "Cornelia…are you watching the stars?"

_Everything's so blurry  
and everyone's so fake  
and everybody's empty  
and everything is so messed up  
pre-occupied without you  
I cannot live at all  
My whole world surrounds you  
I stumble then I crawl_

_You could be my someone  
you could be my scene  
you know that I'll protect you  
from all of the obscene  
I wonder what you're doing  
imagine where you are  
there's oceans in between us  
but that's not very far_

On the other side of the world, The Second Princess of Britannia struggled in her sleep, breathing hard as her hands gripping the sheets in a nervous panic. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed. Wiping the sweat from her face, Cornelia padded in her bare feet across the floor, throwing open the window. She fell onto the padded window seat, and gazed longingly at the stars.

"Why Mark? Why did you have to go and leave me? Don't you know how I feel about you? Did you know were my whole reason for joining the military?" Cornelia whispered, the light fabric of her purple satin nightgown flapping in the evening breeze. "I may be head of the Royal Knights, but I'm still a woman," A single tear fell down her cheek as she bowed her head, hugging her chest with her bare arms, remembering the day she met the Crimson Fox.

_Can you take it all away  
can you take it all away  
well ya shoved it in my face  
this pain you gave to me  
Can you take it all away  
can you take it all away  
well ya shoved it my face_

_17 year old Cornelia was walking amongst the gardens of the Imperial Palace complex after returning from school. She heard crying from the gardens between the Athens and Demeter Villas, the Li Britannia and Le Britannia residences respectively, and her eyes grew hard at what she saw, her little sister Euphemia on the ground, big fat tears running down her red cheeks. A woman the same age as Cornelia, with waist length blonde hair, and taunting blue eyes, framed by the freakiest looking eyebrows, stood over the young Third Princess. _

"_You're such a baby, Euphie! No wonder you'll never be empress!" Dorothy Le Britannia, the Fourth Princess, jeered. "Father would never name a bleeding heart crybaby like you his heir! He wants a strong heir. One who respects and shares his views, someone like me! You're weak! And you'll always be weak! It's only luck you were named Third Princess before me!" Euphie cried harder. That was all the prompting Cornelia needed. She stalked over to Dorothy, wound up and swung her arm as hard as she could, a resounding WHAP echoing through the entire palace compound. _

_Everyone is changing  
there's no one left that's real  
to make up your own ending  
and let me know just how you feel  
cause I am lost without you  
I cannot live at all  
my whole world surrounds you  
I stumble then I crawl_

"_YOU BITCH!" Cornelia snarled, looming over the terrified blonde, "You DARE make my baby sister cry! I don't care if you're my sister or not. No one EVER makes Euphie cry!" Cornelia was about to hit her again when her arm was caught. The Second Princess tensed as she was face to face with Luciano Bradley, Dorothy's Royal Knight, a man who loved torturing his victims before killing them. Right now, he was at the grandest of feasts, gorging himself on Cornelia's fears, but she wasn't about to be intimidated by the man, not with her sister present. _

_You could be my someone  
you could be my scene  
you know that I will save you  
from all of the unclean  
I wonder what you're doing  
I wonder where you are  
There's oceans in between us  
but that's not very far_

"_Is there a problem, your highness?" the orange haired man jeered. _

"_Ah! Luciano! Perfect timing! This witch was about to strike me down with her dark magic! Deal with her! And make it painful! I want to enjoy this!" Dorothy said with a sadistic glee. In later years though, Cornelia would have the last laugh, turning the "witch" slur and making it into a title to be feared on the battlefield. _

"_With pleasure you highness! I can taste her fear even from here! This witch shall learn her place!" The Vampire of Britannia's grip on Cornelia tightened, Cornelia steeled herself for the blow which never came. Luciano's hand had been stopped by a arm clad in black, brown eyes cold as rock, His red sleeveless trenchcoat a veil of fire. Luciano's eyes were weary, "Mark Lamperouge!"_

_Can you take it all away  
can you take it all away  
well ya shoved it in my face  
this pain you gave to me  
Can you take it all away  
can you take it all away  
well ya shoved it my face_

"_I think that is enough," Mark spoke in a measured tone. Dorothy cowered back, she and the rest of the Le Britannias were afraid of the Crimson Fox, and even Luciano treaded lightly around the man whom was the equal of the Knight of One. Brown eyes met clear blue, "Your highness, are you and your sister alright? I'll escort you back to your villa." He held out a hand to Cornelia, and put a protective arm around a still sniffling Euphie. He shot one last glare at the Fourth Princess and her pet Vampire. _

"_A fox may not be the strongest animal in the woods, but they can be most dangerous when cornered, remember that," He said in a tone that chilled the air. The door opened and Cornelia and Euphemia's mother, Elizabeth Li Britannia, came out on the front porch, it was clear where her eldest daughter got her looks from, her long purple hair up in a pony tail. She hugged both her daughters._

"_Oh, are you both okay? Oh my sweet little girls!" Mark said nothing, knowing full well how Elizabeth viewed him and his sister, turned to leave, but the Third Imperial Consort's next words stopped him, "Sir Lamperouge, I've never approved of your sister as a consort…but, I will give you my thanks for defending my daughter's honor, both of my daughters." Elizabeth gave a deep bow, "I thank you greatly. The nerve of that man to harm my babies! He's not a knight, he's a thug!" _

_Mark returned the bow, "No need your majesty. I may be Marianne's knight first, but I am sworn to aid all those who need it. Your daughters were no different. If you're not busy, I'd like to extend an invitation for you and your children to come to dinner at the Aries Villa. It's nothing formal, but it's preferable to dining alone." _

_Euphie's tear-stained face lit up, delighted at the chance to dine with her favorite siblings. "Can we mommy? Can we, Can we, Can we?" Euphie started jumping up and down excitedly. Cornelia did a better job of hiding her emotions, but too would like to spend more time peeling back the layers of the man known as the Crimson Fox. _

_"Yes Mother, It would be nice to see Lady Marianne again," Cornelia added. So the Third Empress relented_

_"I suppose it would be rude reject your invitation, Sir Lamperouge, for your services to my daughters today. Eric isn't home yet, so we'll need to wait." _

_Mark waved it off, "It's quite alright. We're not ready yet anyway. So take your time." He then walked back to the Aries Villa. Cornelia stared at his back, and sighed. A few hours later, Elizabeth, accompanied by her daughters and son, Eric Li Britannia, arrived at the Lamperouges' front door. Marianne greeted her fellow queen in her favorite orange dress. _

_"Welcome! Welcome! Please come in! We just sat down!" She smiled widely, hands clasped in front of them. The dinner was as Mark said, a truly informal affair…grilled cheese sandwiches. Elizabeth looked slightly perturbed while Euphie happily munched down on the gooey, cheesy concoction as she chatted with Lelouch and Nunnally. Cornelia's sandwich went uneaten, as she gazed across the table at the Crimson Fox._

_"Are you not hungry, sister?" Nunnally piped up, shaking the Second Princess from her daydream, causing her to start blushing. _

_"I'm sorry, Nunnally!" Cornelia picked up her sandwich and bit into it absent-mindedly, but once she did it was love at first bite. In later years, Cornelia would sneak into the kitchen and have the cook prepare it for her, only Guilford and Darlton ever knew of her love for it. _

_"Grilled cheese is the best!" Nunnally chirped merrily, "Mama makes it for us every Tuesday!" Everyone had a good laugh at Nunnally's sweetness and Elizabeth had enjoyed it, even though she'd never admit it to anyone. They stayed for a few hours longer, sharing stories and laughs._

_Nobody told me what you thought  
nobody told me what to say  
everyone showed you where to turn  
told you when to runaway  
nobody told you where to hide  
nobody told you what to say  
everyone showed you where to turn  
showed you when to runaway_

_Back at the Athens Villa, Cornelia was getting ready for bed, brushing her hair. Elizabeth came in, wearing a sapphire blue silk bathrobe, "Cornelia? Are you alright dear?" All through the dinner, the queen had seen her daughter sneak glances at her counterpart's brother, and she was concerned. _

"_Uh, yes mother, I'm fine," Cornelia replied. But Elizabeth knew her children far too well. _

"_Does this have anything to do with Sir Lamperouge?" Elizabeth sighed, "Cornelia, I will try to be as gentle as I can about this. Because, I do appreciate what he did for you today, but you have to remember your place. He is a Knight of Honor, but you are the Second Princess. You are second in line for the throne. High up on the line of succession as you are, you have high standards you're required to meet, honey." _

"_Why? Because Mark is a commoner? Because his blood isn't pure enough?!" Cornelia snapped. Elizabeth flinched at the harshness of her daughter's voice. She had met her fair share of the Purist Faction, and found their views distasteful, but felt her duty to the empire overrode her personal feelings. _

"_Cornelia," she said, "This is not easy for me, but I have my duties to the empire, Just as you do. I don't like it, but it's what we have to do." _

_Can you take it all away  
can you take it all away  
well ya shoved it in my face  
this pain you gave to me  
Can you take it all away  
can you take it all away  
well ya shoved it my face_

_This pain you gave to me_

_"Why mother? Why must the world be so cruel?" Cornelia wept, "I don't care if he's a commoner…I love him! I love Mark Lamperouge. Blood doesn't matter to me. He's the most honorable, noble man I've ever met. Mother, I want to share my life with him." Cornelia broke down and wept in her mother's arms. _

_Elizabeth sighed. She found herself torn between her two personas, Elizabeth Weber, mother of three children, and Elizabeth Li Britannia, Third Consort of the Empire. "Oh, my little blossom. It's a cruel, cruel world, when you're forced between station and love. Cornelia, I don't know what else to say to you, my dear. But please know, I do love you. You are my eldest daughter, and I know you will find your way, whether it involves Mark Lamperouge or not." Elizabeth kissed Cornelia on the forehead and returned to her bedroom. _

_You take it all  
You take it all away...  
This pain you gave to me  
You take it all away  
This pain you gave to me  
Take it all away  
This pain you gave to me_

In their respective places, two lovers, separated by social class and distance, picked up a simple little convection consisting of two slices of grilled bread containing a piece of melted cheese. They both took a bite, savoring the simple taste and gazing out at the night skies, wishing they could be together.


End file.
